Monkeypox virus Ireland

Northern Ireland will see further cases of monkeypox, the chief medical officer Michael McBride has predicted.

Speaking to RTÉ's Drivetime, Professor McKee said: "We should be concerned about all new infections. We are asking these people in particular to be aware of their symptoms. So if people do have monkeypox, then it can be identified quickly." "One of the working hypotheses is that this has been increasing in parts of Africa over the last few years and it may well be that with the resumption of movement, as the pandemic is subsiding, we're now seeing spread elsewhere, and that I think, is probably the most likely explanation that the minute," he added. He said that the resumption of travel since the Covid-19 pandemic is part of the reason that we are seeing monkeypox spread now. One of the things that we really should have learned from the Covid pandemic is that in any situation in which you have changes in the relationship between humans and animals in the natural environment, you have the risk for new infections to spread both between animals and humans and between humans onwards. "So for that reason, we should not be complacent about any infection, but of all the things that could be happening, probably this is towards the lower end, and that doesn't mean we should let our guard down at all." He said traditionally monkeypox is not considered to be a very infectious virus, but it is "important that we enhance our surveillance in endemic regions so that we can control it there and prevent it spreading globally". The Tanaiste said: "We're not aware of any cases in the Republic of Ireland as of yet but it's almost inevitable - in fact, it is inevitable - that there will be cases in the Republic of Ireland." "We will be conducting contact tracing to identify any of those who might be high-risk contacts to be advised to self-isolate or who might be eligible for a vaccination to prevent them going on to develop the monkeypox disease." "Appropriate public health actions are being taken and the PHA is working with UKHSA to investigate any potential links with UK cases and we will contact any potential close contacts to provide health information and advice." Meanwhile, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar said it was is "inevitable" that monkeypox will be detected in the Republic.